Beds used in health care facilities and home care settings include a base frame, an elevatable frame and a lift system allowing a patient or caregiver to adjust the height of the elevatable frame. The lift system components reside beneath the elevatable frame and therefore should be compact so that the frame can be positioned at very low elevations. Compactness also makes space available for other under-bed components. However the lift system must also have enough vertical reach to allow the user to raise the frame high enough for a caregiver to attend to the bed occupant. Lift systems that employ telescoping components can satisfy the vertical positioning requirements. However the telescoping components can be susceptible to binding. Therefore, despite the merits of telescoping systems, it is desirable to enlarge the universe of design choices by developing non-telescoping alternatives.